King Richard III reburial: Here are church, royalty and army revering a child-killing, wife-slaughtering tyrant who would be on trial if he weren’t 500 years dead. This is the madness of monarchy, where these bones are honoured for their divine royalty, whether by accident of birth or by brutal seizure of the crown. Richard is a good symbol of the “bloodline” fantasy. Britain's story is one of royal usurpage and regicide, with imported French, Dutch and German monarchs.

King Richard III reburial: Here are church, royalty and army revering a child-killing, wife-slaughtering tyrant who would be on trial if he weren’t 500 years dead. This is the madness of monarchy, where these bones are honoured for their divine royalty, whether by accident of birth or by brutal seizure of the crown. Richard is a good symbol of the “bloodline” fantasy. Britain's story is one of royal usurpage and regicide, with imported French, Dutch and German monarchs.